


Truth or Dare

by OTTSTF



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Multi-choice, Reader-Interactive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2020-01-20 19:49:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 2,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18531952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OTTSTF/pseuds/OTTSTF
Summary: The party play truth or dare in the basement. Of course, Dustin has no original ideas when it comes to Mike.This is a reader-interactive story, driven by your choices.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Your choices play an important part in these stories. Your choices will influence the characters, their development, and their relationships.  
>  **Chapters are not to be read in order. Individual chapters are linked to by the choices you make inside the story.**
> 
> * * *
> 
> Please let me know what you think once you've finished a path (or all of them!)  
> This really is very experimental, so feedback would be greatly appreciated.  
> Thanks!

The day had finally come.

The day that the chief of police, Jim Hopper, the new father to El, had finally given in to the nagging from all parties to let El spend a night with her friends _._

El had been begging him, as had Mike. Shortly after, the others had started pestering him too; even the not-so-new-anymore redhead.

And then… _Joyce?_  
Yes. Even Joyce had started insisting that he “give the girl some freedom”.  
He wants to believe that the kids paid her off or something, but he can see her point. El _does_ deserve some freedom.

So that’s how he got here: Parked outside the Wheeler house, watching his daughter run full speed towards the front door, where Michael Wheeler stands with his arms open, ready to catch her, and _definitely_ tumbling back a bit as he does.

He doesn’t linger. He said his bidding to his daughter before he let her run free, so waiting outside has no purpose. Putting his truck into gear, he rolls off, leaving the kids to do what they will for the night.

 

 

No words need to be shared between El or Mike to know the relief they both feel as they hold each-other tight, swaying lightly. The sighs of happiness, the way she tucks her chin onto his shoulder, and he leans his head against hers.

The way Dustin groans from the basement stairs, demanding that Mike set her free and let the rest of the party welcome her too. He gives in, reluctantly letting go of the girl, so in turn, goes to give Dustin a hug of his own, although nowhere near as clingy or tight.

Then she is back to Mike practically immediately, asking what Dustin means by “Truth or Dare”.

_Who’s great idea was this?_

He explains the concept. Deciding between having to tell the absolute truth to something, or being forced into a dare.

“But friends _always_ tell the truth, don’t they?” she asks, reminding Mike how cutely innocent she is.

He explains that it’s usually more personal things that get asked, which you usually wouldn’t tell under normal circumstances. He then whispers, out of eves-drop from the others, that she doesn’t have to tell them anything she doesn’t want to.

 

That then leads us to where they are now.  
Sat in a circle on the basement floor, taking turns in picking out truths or dares for the poor soul that the bottle in the middle points to.

And of course, it lands on Mike.  
_While it’s Dustin’s turn._

“Ooh… Mikey boy.” Dustin smirks.

Mike rolls his eyes. “Get on with it.”

“Truth? Or dare?”

* * *

[Truth](/works/18531952/chapters/43922839)  
[Dare](/works/18531952/chapters/43922890)

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

“Truth.” Mike decides, dreading to know what on Earth Dustin would come up with had he chosen to take a dare.

“Oh come on, Mike!” Lucas groans. “You know _exactly_ what he’s going to ask!”

“I mean, I’d hope he would come up with something original!” Mike throws back.

“Nah.” Dustin smirks. “Tell us, Michael: Do you love El?”

“Oh my god, Dustin.” even Will groans.

“I want an answer!” Dustin demands.

Mike is conflicted. He knows his inner feelings for El _very_ well, but does he really have to get himself, and likely El, all blushed in front of his friends?

“Well? Come on Mike. Do you love her?”

* * *

["Yes I do."](/works/18531952/chapters/43922851)  
["I don't know."](/works/18531952/chapters/43922857)  
["We're too young for that."](/works/18531952/chapters/43922863)

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

Mike gives in. He knows his feelings. He supposes it’s pointless to even try to hide them.

“Yes.” Mike admits, already feeling the blush grow on his cheeks. But then, when he looks up to see El’s face, with the widest smile upon her shocked face, he knows he chose the right decision. He then takes her hand right hand in his left, and ignoring the groans from the rest of the party (excluding Will, who respects their relationship thoroughly), he takes a breath, and lets it out.

“I do love her. I have loved her since she vowed to help us find Will.”

“Really? All that time?” Will asks, whilst the others just roll their eyes or groan.

“Well… yeah.” Mike responds. “We were literally hopeless, and she was petrified of the lab and the Upside-Down. But… she still helped us through it all. She helped us get you home.”

Will smiles softly, nodding his head. He’s always known their relationship was something very special. Knowing It originates from him makes it even more so.

El then leans in, kissing Mike’s cheek.  
“I love you too, Mike.” she promises with the deepest look of love in her eyes.  
“I love you so much.”

Still ignoring the groans of the party, the two just sit there for a moment, sharing this moment together. It’s not exactly how Mike wanted to tell her, but it’s perfect in its own way.


	4. Chapter 4

“I…” Mike considers his options carefully. He reflects on his feelings for her.  
_Does_ he love her? He’s kissed her, _multiple_ times. Is that automatically love?

“I don’t know.” he tells them, feeling more conflicted as the seconds go by.

“Oh come on.” Max rolls her eyes.  
“We can see you want to say yes.” she tells him. “And the way you act with each-other? You’re definitely not just friends.”

“We’re _definitely_ more than friends.” Mike agrees. He spares a glance at El, who’s looking just as conflicted as himself.

“Mike…” Max rolls her eyes, again. “Okay, listen to me.”

“Are we really getting into this?” Lucas complains, earning a warning glare from the girl.

“Mike. You ‘don’t know’. That means you definitely feel something, right?”

“I… guess so.” Mike admits.

“You always want to be with her. You feel a pain in your chest when she’s gone?”

“I…” he stalls, not _really_ wanting to admit this in front of everyone.  
“Yes.” he eventually nods. “I do.”

“And you’d do anything to keep her safe, no matter what?”

“Absolutely.” Mike immediately responds, not even having to consider it.

“Well, guess what buddy.” Max smirks.

Mike feels an odd feeling in his stomach – a kind of relief. Max has just summed up the way he feels about El, perfectly. Is it really love?

“Mike…”

El’s voice causes Mike’s gaze to snap to the girl in question, who’s looking determined instead of conflicted this time around.

“I feel all those things too.” she tells him.  
“I think… I love you.”

The words hit him. He feels them dig into his chest and bubble up, creating all the butterflies that ever existed. And then, at that point, it clicks inside him.  
If he feels that way from hearing her say those words, then he definitely feels it too.

With the largest smile on his face, Mike nods his head. “I… I do love you, El.”

The smile he wears spreads straight to El as he says it.

“Hearing you say those words… that just made me certain. I love you.”

“I love you too, Mike.” she smiles wide, nodding too.

A moment, although brief, is shared between them, revelling in the fact that they’ve finally got the words out, and their feelings sorted. Then Mike cannot help himself.

He throws himself at her, grasping her tight in his arms. El eventually does the same once the surprise wears off.

“Okay, now that’s finally out, can we just get back to playing?” the voice of Dustin practically begs.

But Mike nor El care. All that matters, is that they love each-other. They’re sure of it, and they can say it proud.


	5. Chapter 5

He wants to say yes. He really wants to just get it out, and admit it.

But at the same time, the words of _every_ adult lingers in his mind.

“I…” he sighs, letting the ‘common sense’ get into his head.

“I think we’re too young for that.” he finally says.

“Oh come on, Mike.” Max rolls her eyes. “You know what you feel, regardless of our age.”

“I mean… yeah, but… there’s no need to rush into that kind of thing, right?” Mike argues. He knows El hasn’t had much of a life outside of the lab or Hopper’s cabin yet, so he’s not entirely sure rushing into a relationship is a good idea for her.

“If you say so.” she fires back. “I’m sure in a few months, you’ll be all over each-other.”

“Oh-kay.” Dustin moans. “Too much information.”

“Not like that, you pig!” she hits his arm. “You know what I mean. Being all loving and sickening.”

“Okay, yeah, still too much.”

The party continues to argue amongst each-other whether Mike has a point or not, whilst Mike himself, loses himself in focussing on El. She has a mix of emotions in her face. She’s wearing a smile, but it doesn’t seem genuine. Does she… _love_ him? Does she think he _doesn’t_ love her?

Mike feels himself regret his decision in hiding his feelings.  
He sets himself a mission to admit the truth to her directly later on.


	6. Chapter 6

“Dare.” Mike chooses, despite knowing Dustin could come up with the absolute worst ideas for dares. He dreads to know what he’d force him to confess had he chosen truth, though.

“Oh come on, Mike.” Max rolls her eyes. “We all know what Dustin’s gonna dare you to do.”

“Yeah, and it won’t even be a dare since you do it all the time anyway.” Lucas complains.

“Come on, Dustin.” Will pleads. “Come up with something original.”

Dustin, knowing exactly what they’re thinking of, smirks.  
“Nah.” he wears what Mike would call a ‘shit-eating’ smile.

“Here we go.” Lucas groans, before Dustin speaks over his complaints.

“I dare you, Mike Wheeler, to go in there with El.” he demands, pointing to the tiny bathroom situated in the basement. “For five minutes.”

“Really?” Mike groans. He knew it’d involve El in some way – but trying to urge a make-out session? They’d never gone that far, so what makes him think this would be the time?

“You gonna do it?” Dustin questions. “Or do you forfeit?”

* * *

[Take the dare](/works/18531952/chapters/43922902)  
[Request another dare](/works/18531952/chapters/43922908)

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

Mike rolls his eyes at his friend’s immaturity.  
“You up for it, El?” he asks the girl by his left. “All we need to do is sit in the bathroom together for five minutes.”

“That seems easy.” El nods, looking confused. “Okay.” she nods.

Ignoring the snickers from Dustin, Mike takes El’s hand and quickly closes the bathroom door behind them.

“Why does he want us to wait in here, Mike?” the girl asks him innocently, not understanding the idea behind it.

“He’s being stupid, El.” Mike states. “He thinks that being in here for so long, just us, would make us want to make out.”

“Make out?”

_Of course. Of course she doesn’t know. And now I’ve got to explain it._   
“It’s like… kissing. But a lot more. You kiss… more… I don’t know.”

“Like with tongues?” El assumes.

“How do you know that?” Mike questions in surprise.

“TV.” she states, shrugging.

“I’m surprised Hopper lets you watch that kind of thing.” Mike comments.

“I don’t watch it on purpose.” El tells him. “I watch some romance, usually when Hopper isn’t in because he doesn’t like it.”

Mike nods, understanding. “I’m glad you’ve found stuff you like.” Mike smiles softly.

“I have an idea!” El suddenly tells Mike, wearing a smirk on her face.

“What’s that?” Mike asks, feeling kind of excited whenever El comes up with something; loving to see her creative side.

She takes her hands to his hair, running them through softly. Mike is curious as to what her idea is, before she starts ruffling it up.

“We should make it look like we have been making out.” she smirks, making Mike laugh.

T he boy nods, before taking his hand to her hair, playfully ruffling it. This soon turns into a war of hair-ruffling and giggles between them. When their war calms down, El, wearing a large smile, quickly presses a kiss to his lips, startling Mike before he smiles back.

“Okay you two. Enough making out.” comes the voice of Dustin. “We could hear you the entire time.”

El can’t help but laugh again, with Mike following. They both then make poor attempts at neatening their hair with their hands, keeping the purposely-made post-make-out look, before Mike carefully opens the door, trying to make himself look flustered. El follows with her hand in his, pulling off what he would consider a very convincing act.

“Jesus Christ, guys!” Lucas groans, whilst Dustin snickers beside them.

“I told you they wouldn’t be able to help themselves!” Dustin laughs whilst the two rush past him, back towards their original spots in the party circle.

“I thought you’d have a _bit_ more self-control than that.” Max rolls her eyes.

“What can I say?” Mike shrugs, smirking.

“We just got… carried away.” El states, looking as innocent as ever.

“Yeah, we can see that, lovebirds.” Dustin comments.

Holding their joke to themselves, Mike and El join the ring once more. Throughout the game, they can’t help but glance at each-other, laughing more and more every time they do.


	8. Chapter 8

“Are you serious?” Mike groans. “I’m not doing that.”

“Oh? So you forfeit?” Dustin raises an eyebrow.

“Just give me another dare, idiot.” Mike demands.

Dustin visibly considers whether he should give Mike another dare or just force him to forfeit, but eventually, he decides the former.

“Okay, fine.” Dustin once again smirks. “Kiss her. For ten seconds straight.”

“Oh my god Dustin, what is it with you making them do things together?” Max complains. “There’s something wrong with you!”

Whilst the party begins to thrash Dustin for his teasing, Mike and El focus on each-other. Eventually, El shrugs, as if to say ‘whatever’ and leans in towards Mike, capturing his lips with hers.

A few seconds in, El lets a hand take its place at the back of Mike’s head, with him copying the action shortly after. Complying with Dustin’s dare, they remain for ten seconds. Had Lucas not snapped them out of it, they may have stayed there even longer.

Mike needs to catch his breath after such a lingering kiss, feeling somewhat light-headed from it, in a good way. El immediately blushes from seeing Mike’s reaction.

“Okay, now that’s out of the way, can we just pretend it never happened?” Lucas pleads.

“Yes, please.” Max agrees.

And so, the game continues. But now, every so often, Mike an El will glance at each-other, and can’t help but wear soft smiles when they do.


End file.
